The "Two Galaxies" Problem

To be clear, I'm not saying there are literally two galaxies in Star Wars (I mean, scientifically there are probably more, but that's beside the point) but rather the portrayal of the galaxies we've seen.

Because honestly, much as I love the sequel trilogy, it's starting to feel like an alternate reality to the GFFA we know and love. And I'm not just saying that because of Legends or ways it echoes the old canon in slightly warped ways. I actually really like that about the new canon. Rebels does that a lot, and I'm a huge fan of that show.

What I mean is that so much of what we hold familiar in Star Wars isn't showing up in the sequel trilogy. Aliens, planets... everything seems so new and unexplored.

This idea has cropped up a few times on these forums, so I don't want to rehash what's already been said too much, and I also totally understand that in something as big as a galaxy you won't want it to feel small and constantly familiar. So I totally get the reason for expanding the canon, and I never want them to stop expanding. But I think it doesn't hurt to look inward, too, and I think the slower rate at which they've done so is actually a big root of what people disliked in TLJ.

For instance, take a look at some of these complaints:

1. Rey's Backstory

I don't think Rey needs a legacy heritage, and at this point I think it would be awful to backpedal and try to say that she's a Dooku or something.

But as of now, she's still a relatively blank slate. For backstory, we know that she was apparently a child of degenerates who sold her on Jakku for drinking money.

I mean, at the very least we could've thrown just a little more flavor in there. Maybe make Rey's alcoholic parents be originally from Alderaan, or even throw in something for deeper canon fans like Vadros or Jelucan. Or even Rey herself could have vague memories of another world, something familiar for fans to grasp on to.

Obviously there's a risk inherent here in that any sort of familiarity could also be an accidental springboard for unnecessary speculation. For instance, Rey of Jelucan all of a sudden is a prime candidate for being the son of Thane and Ciena, because an entire planet full of people can be tough to fathom and it's far easier to reduce a planet's identity to a single individual or pair by association. But that's just something fans should be smarter about.

Point is, we have such a huge and fleshed out galaxy in Star Wars- Rey can still be "Rey Nobody", and still have a place in the galaxy. She doesn't need to be an entirely blank slate.

2. Snoke's Backstory

Same reasoning as Rey's, for the most part, but with one huge addition: apparently Snoke is from the Unknown Regions, or at least expanded media tells us that. But at this point, why does that matter, when everything feels unfamiliar to us? It makes everything feel alien, so why should we be concerned with Snoke. This guy arguably looks creepier, anyway...




3. The Deaths of Major Characters

I see this as sort of a coping mechanism. Star Wars is rapidly changing, and I don't think that's a bad thing. But we have a world now where Star Wars has killed Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Again, personally I'm still very excited for the sequel trilogy, but it's not hard to see how some fans have lost enthusiasm.

Now it's one thing to take away characters, but we've set our story in something that wholly feels unfamiliar. Imagine a fan just now entering the sequel trilogy:

- Does it have Luke and Han?

Ummm, for a while...

- Do we get to see Coruscant, Tatooine, or the new Republic? Or even planets I read about like Kashyyyk, Sullust, stuff like that?

No, not really. You can see a salt planet called Crait, and a planet kinda like Tatooine but it's called Jakku.

- Ok, ok... Are there lots of rodians, Twi'leks, Jawas, Duros, Wookies- you know, all the Star Wars races we know and love?

Oh, not really. But you do get to see this guy.


I guess what I'm saying here is, we're making a really rough transition too this new canon, and likely losing a lot of fans along the way. Again, I'm totally playing Devil's Advocate here and I'm sure Star Wars will be fine, but it does make me sad to see so many people lost their love for the series.


To end this rant on a positive note, I'll say that I'm very impressed with the direction Solo looks like it's headed in.

Corellia, Mimban, Kessel. Corellian hounds, new stormtrooper variants, new bounty hunters, hopefully old ones as well. It seems like it does a great job of setting itself firmly in the Star Wars universe (perhaps the best out of any new canon film) and asserting itself as something new and unique, but still accessible to all fans. Here's to hoping it's as incredible as I think!

 

That's a fair point, and I totally get where you're coming from. I love the new stuff, too.

I just think that with everything is changing, that's starting to put a bad taste in peoples' mouths. Maybe IX could throw in some Rodians, Duros, or Twi'leks in the background (I believe they're supposed to be about as common as humans in the galaxy, and the stats we see on screen don't even come close to approaching that) amongst the new stuff that we can look forward to being unveiled.

After all, despite my complaints against the prequel trilogy, it's amazing that eventually they managed to make a world like this



Feel like it belonged in the same universe as this


I think stuff like The Clone Wars and Rebels helped, but the prequels also weren't shy to indulge in fan service every now and then. Sometimes maybe to a fault. Maybe, with time, the Sequel trilogy will slowly feel more like it's slotted correctly in its place.

 

Haha, I almost made a multiverse joke in the original post, but I figured I wouldn't try to steal your thunder

 

No joke though, the Ghost always did seem bigger on the inside.

 

I don't disagree, but I think it remains to be seen how the Skywalker thing is going to resolve.

 

I guess we'll just have to see. I enjoy Star Wars for what it is, but I think from the fact that I made this thread it's pretty clear that I have my own issues with it. Still, I'm remaining optimistic that IX will do what is best for the story.

 

To be totally fair, Lucas never portrayed Duros or Rodians as being nearly as populous in the galaxy as they should have been, either. And really, I think the new canon actually does a far better job of showing that the Rebel Alliance wasn't just a ton of humans. Characters like Hera, Shriv, and the gigoran from Rogue One are some standouts.



But yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head with the difference between fan service and familiarity.

For example, fan service would be if Amazon's Lord of the Rings series featured a town that included hobbits, elves, and dwarves all living together.

Familiarity would be seeing those different groups where they're supposed to be.



The thing is, in Star Wars, there's no in-universe reason the older species aren't being seen, at least none has been given yet.

 

Maybe, but part of the reason Duros were apparently so prolific was because they were one of they were one of the first widespread colonizers.

That's not to say that we're necessarily visiting planets that they've been on, but when you have a species known for its historical colonization you'd think that we'd see that reflected in the media.